From Corpus Christi and all the cities that lie across the entire Rio Grande Valley, from Laredo to Brownsville, Jones Moving & Storage in Harlingen has quickly established itself as the “go-to” company for commercial delivery services.
“We’re not your typical moving company,” says Jones Moving & Storage Vice President David Groves. “Yes, we do handle residential moves – whether they’re from one part of Harlingen to another, across the country, or even overseas – but the bulk of our business is handling commercial delivery projects.”
Most of their commercial activity involves appliance delivery and installation. In fact, the company has contracts with the larger retail stores for that type of service. So, for example, when a customer buys a washer and dryer from a retail outlet, he doesn’t actually get them from the store.
“The manufacturer ships the appliances directly to us,” notes Groves. “We then deliver them to the customer and install them. Since the State of Texas requires that appliance installers be licensed, our company has 10 licensed appliance installers on board for just that purpose.”
Final Mile and FF&E Deliveries
Jones Moving & Storage is also known as a “final mile delivery company.” When customers order products online, such as furniture, beds, TVs, and exercise equipment, they are shipped by freight carrier to Jones Moving & Storage’s warehouse. The company, in turn, delivers the product the “final mile.”
“Say a customer ordered a treadmill. We deliver it and set it up wherever the customer wants. Before leaving, we also give him a brief overview of how it works,” says Groves.
In addition to the “final mile” type deliveries, the company also handles “Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment” (FF&E) deliveries for hospitals, banks, hotels, and office buildings. Some of its more recent FF&E deliveries include furnishing Border Patrol facilities, dorm rooms for area universities, as well as the relocation of South Texas College’s machine shop.
When the new Marriott Hotel in Harlingen was built, Jones Moving & Storage delivered and installed all the furniture and fixtures for the guest rooms and lobbies.
“We brought in and set up the dresser, night stand, bed, headboards, mirrors, TVs, and assembled furniture as necessary. We even hung the artwork for both the guest room and lobbies. We handled the entire hotel,” Groves remarks.
The company also has trained personnel to deliver virtually any type of medical equipment, such as CAT scan machines, operating room tables, lab equipment, and blood analyzers. And while they don’t install medical equipment – that’s left to hospital technicians – they do put it in place and remove the packaging.
“We’ve done complete hospitals where we bring in everything from office furniture to medical equipment,” Groves says.
“We’re the only movers in the Valley with the trained staff and the capacity to handle all of these various kinds of projects,” he adds.
Groves states his company can take on virtually any type of commercial delivery and installation. When Sprint came to the Valley to install its 4G equipment, it hired Jones Moving & Storage to deliver all of the cable and cabinets that house the computers and electronic switching equipment. These deliveries were made to all of Sprint’s 297 towers from Victoria south.
Even the Girl Scouts owe thanks to Jones Moving & Storage. “We warehouse and distribute to the troops all of the Girl Scout cookies for Laredo, Corpus Christi, and the whole Valley area.”
They Treat You Like Family
Presently, Jones Moving & Storage has 35 full-time employees. All personnel involved in moving possess vast experience and undergo extensive training.
“Many of our employees have been with us for 15, 20, even 30 years because we treat them like family,” comments Groves. “Because we’re concerned about them as a whole person, not just an employee, means they’re more productive, more satisfied.
“And, in turn, our employees treat our customers like family. They bend over backwards for them. And that has meant more satisfied customers.”
To ensure prompt and safe delivery of goods, the company maintains a fleet of five 18-wheelers, all equipped with air ride suspension for high-value electronics and other sensitive equipment. It also owns 15 delivery trucks, plus flatbeds, forklifts and other specialty equipment.
When household storage is required, a 10,000 square-foot warehouse is available. Similarly, when commercial storage is needed, the firm uses its 30,000 square-foot warehouse.
Fulton Jones, who founded the company in 1922, would no doubt be greatly surprised at how far his company has come in 93 years. Throughout that period, the company changed with the times and significantly expanded the scope of its services.
Today, Jones Moving & Storage is the leading commercial delivery company in the Rio Grande Valley. With its team of seasoned professionals, it offers businesses and institutions of all kinds the highest professional grade installation and disassembly possible.
